Emotional Rollercoster
by Kado-Kattsune
Summary: Every life is full of emotional ups and downs. Alessa's was no exception. Based on my Nuzlocke Challenge Runs for FireRed and SoulSilver.
1. Grief

A/N: First of all, if you saw this when it was still a prompt list, I apologize. I forgot to finish editing it before I uploaded it. It's been a while since I've uploaded a new story here. Secondly, this chapter stems from my FireRed game deleting itself and this is the only way I can explain in in Alessa's story. It makes me feel like an ass, but here it is. Red wasn't even supposed to show up in this chapter, but he just kind of did.

Alessa's Kanto Team

Absinthe- Venasaur

Reno- Growlithe

Kotori- Pidgeot

Marina- Lapras

Praline- Jolteon

Kain- Nidoking

* * *

><p><em>"Hmpf, so you've won. Take your Badge." From his elevated platform at the end of the room Giovanni tossed the girl her prize. She caught it easily enough.<em>

_"We had an agreement." Alessa responded, her glare never leaving the Rocket Boss as she pinned the final Badge to her Trainer Card. Next to her Kain cracked his knuckles in a threatening manner, emphasizing his Trainer's statement. He would be more than happy to take things up with the Crime Lord personally if he tried to back out on the deal. The rest of the Team closed ranks around their Trainer. No one trusted the man in front of them._

_"Very well. Team Rocket will disband. I've had enough of the insufferable fools and their constant failure." Reno snorted at the man's response. The Growlithe obviously didn't buy into such a transparent excuse. "Enjoy your moment of happiness, girl." Giovanni continued. "It won't last."_

At the time Alessa thought the Gym Leader was just being cocky; trying to restore his ego after his loss. Now...Now Alessa was pacing around the main room of the Viridian Pokemon Center trying to keep her sanity. In the course of several days, her entire Team had suddenly and unexplainably fallen ill. At first the teen had thought that her Pokemon were just tired from the Viridian Gym battle and the earlier trip to Cinnabar. It was when Absinthe's flower began to wilt that Alessa knew it was more than simple exhaustion. She didn't even want to think about what would have happened if she had headed for Victory Road after her eighth Badge instead of opting to rest for a few days in the city.

For the fifth time in only minutes Alessa found her standing in front of the Center's phone. Should she call Professor Oak? Would he know how to help? Maybe he'd seen something like this before and could help the nurses. Bill was a Pokemaniac. If he was still at the Cinnabar Pokemon Center, she could probably get ahold of him. No, Bill's knowledge was more about his Transport System and even if he could help there was no way he could make it from Cinnabar in time.

"Damnit, what do I do?" Alessa hated feeling so helpless. Her Pokemon were in pain and there was nothing she could do about it. Hesitantly, the brunette picked up the phone and dialed the number to her home town's Research Lab. There was nothing wrong with asking. Maybe the Professor hadn't left for the Indigo Plateau to watch Gary challenge the Elite Four yet. Maybe there was still hope. The phone rang...once...twice...three times...

"Hello, Oak Research Lab. Professor Oak speaking."

"Professor! Thank Arceus I got ahold of you." Finally, something was going her way.

"Alessa? Is that you? What's the matter?" Alessa winced slightly; she hadn't meant to sound so panicked. She was, there wasn't anyone who wouldn't be with their entire Team hospitalized, but it didn't help anyone to get the Professor in a panic as well. The Trainer took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down a little before she continued speaking.

"Professor, something's happened. I-I don't know what...Everyone is...My whole Team is in the Pokemon Center..." Calm didn't happen. If anything Alessa was getting more worked up trying to explain the situation to the man that had given her first Pokemon to her.

"I need help."

It had taken longer than Alessa would have liked to explain the situation to the Professor in a way that wasn't disjointed and panicked. In the time it took for the Professor to arrive from Pallet, Alessa's Pokemon had taken a turn for the worse. It wasn't until the nurses managed to stabilize the weakened Pokemon that the Professor was even allowed in to see if he could help at all.

Alessa sat in the corner of the Pokemon Center's main room. Her legs pulled up to her chest and her forehead resting on her knees. She was exhausted. This entire day had been an emotional roller coster and there was no sign of her Team recovering any time soon. The seat next to her squeaked slightly, indicating someone had sat down next to her. Alessa didn't move, it could only be the Professor. There was no one else here for her, no one to sit that close.

"You don't know what's wrong with them either, do you?" There was no response. Slowly, Alessa lifted her head to face the person next to her. It wasn't Professor Oak. "...Red?"

As usual the boy didn't respond, though the expression on his face seemed to say that he knew what was happening. Alessa didn't know what he was doing here or how he even knew where she was and what was happening, but frankly Alessa didn't care.

"Red, I-" Before she could finish her sentence her fellow Trainer moved, wrapping his arms around her in a hug that Alessa hadn't known how badly she needed. The brunette shut her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. She had tried so hard not to cry, to be strong for the Pokemon when they needed her the most. The two childhood companions sat in silence for what seemed like hours until the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention.

"Alessa..." The Professor had finally returned from the back room where the nurses were working with the girl's Pokemon. His face was pale and his expression grim. Alessa's heart dropped into her stomach and her stomach threatened to escape from her entirely. That was not a look of good news. "I'm so sorry...There was...nothing else we could do." Oak continued speaking, explaining how whatever virus had infected her Pokemon escalated so quickly that there was nothing that could be done to treat it.

Alessa was no longer listening. She felt as if the floor had just fallen out from under her, the world had crumbled away and left her with nothing. She couldn't hear, her vision was blurring. (Later she would realize it was because of her tears.) Gone. Her Pokemon were gone. All of them, at once. Just like that. She had failed them. In the time when they had needed her the most, she had failed them.


	2. Contentment

A/N: I had been planning to post these in chronological order, as to not confuse people, but after the first chapter I felt the need to write something fluffy. Though...this isn't very fluffy. So now I'll just tell you all when the chapter takes place. This chapter takes place in SS, once Alessa arrives back in Kanto after spending three years in Johto. That makes her 21 now.

**Alessa's Johto Team**

Pepsi- Umbreon

Tabasco- Quilava

Mint- Ampharos

Ares- (Red) Gyarados

Artemis- Dragonair

Leek- Farfetch'd

* * *

><p>Alessa sighed, flopping backwards on to the grass. The weather was perfect. The day was sunny and there was a nice, steady breeze to keep it from being too hot. She was supposed to be looking for Misty, drag her back to the Gym, and re-challenge her. So far, that had yet to happen and Alessa had tracked her all the way to the local Cerulean couples spot out around Bill's house. Why Bill chose to live so close the a well known couples spot...Alessa didn't really want to think about. In the course of her searching, she had managed to find a spot that wasn't filled with couples and had decided that now was as good a time as any to take a break. Her Team had (mostly) agreed.<p>

Ares was soaking in one of the nearby water pools, looking only slightly less grumpy than usual. Pepsi was curled up at Alessa's side, napping quietly in the sun. Tabasco was running around the area, chasing anything he could find. Unfortunately, that was Leek more often than not. Artemis, who was in the same pool as Ares, was conversing with Mint. From what Alessa could hear it seemed to be something about the differences between Johto and Kanto and how Kanto Gym Leaders seemed to be, more often than not, absent from their Gym. The brunette chuckled under her breath, reaching over and petting the Umbreon beside her between the ears before she folded her arms behind her head and shut her eyes. A nap was in order.

A nap, however, didn't occur. Only a few minutes later the sound of approaching footsteps drew her from what would have been sleep. Even with her eyes closed Alessa could feel her Pokemon tense around her as the steps grew closer. The brunette groaned, pulling herself into a sitting position and squinting her eyes against the sunlight. The person who eventually came into view was about the last person she ever expected to come across in the area outside Cerulean.

"Gary?"

"Oh, hey." Her former rival didn't seem too surprised by her reappearance in their home region. With no apparent threat, and their Trainer's seeming familiarity with the new arrival, Alessa's Pokemon relaxed. Though a few still eyed the man wearily.

"What are you..." Before Alessa could finish asking the question, something of a realization dawned on her. "Are you the guy Misty ran off to meet? Where is she? I have business with her!" She pulled herself to her feet, looking around as if she expected the missing Water Trainer to appear.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're...not dating Misty?" Even after all the years of knowing her, Gary still couldn't figure out how she put two and two together and ended up with some of her conclusions.

"No." As quickly as it had come, all of Alessa's sudden energy seemed to fade away. She sighed, shoulders slumping, before she returned to her spot in the grass.

"Damn. I'll never find her." She huffed, running a hand through her hair. "What are you doing out here, then? I know you're not looking to re-challenge Misty."

"Well," Her former rival started, that old cocky 'I know better than you' smirk appearing on his face. "You wouldn't need to re-challenge anyone if you hadn't left your Kanto Trainer Card at-..er..." If the glare on Alessa's face wasn't enough to keep him from finishing that sentence, the Umbreon now eyeing him as if he were debating on how much energy it would take to maul the other Trainer was. The Oak boy coughed awkwardly into his hand. It was probably best to change the subject. Quickly. "So this is your new Team?"

Alessa's expression changed in an instant, a happy sort of smile spreading across her face. "Yeah, these are my new babies." Gary never understood why she felt the need to refer to her Pokemon in such a way. "Wanna meet them?"

"No, I don't think-...Is that Gyarados red?" Alessa sniggered to herself. He was Professor Oak's grandson, after all.

"That's Ares. He's grumpy but he shouldn't protest too much if you want to take a look at him." Ares' expression darkened. It seemed he had heard his Trainer's remark and disagreed. "Or maybe he would and he might bite." Given his background Alessa should have known that Ares wouldn't have gone along with anything that had the risk of poking and prodding.

It was odd, being able to talk so casually with the man who had once been her self-proclaimed rival. Especially after she had been gone so long and when she had left they hadn't been on the best of terms. Alessa had to admit, if only to herself and never out loud, that it was nice. It was almost like it was back before they started on their Pokemon journeys, when they were friends (most of the time). The only thing that was missing was Red and the familiar scenery of their hometown.


End file.
